Perspective
by mjojo83
Summary: Sophie was just minding her own business when Bella stumbled into her life. Unforeseen twists of fate land them both in some sort of dream like experience. The pair try to navigate through Texas during the civil war, creating friendships with the most unlikely people - including themselves. Jasper/OC.
1. Chapter 1

"Seriously, Jeff, you are pushing this theme to the limit." Sophie complained as she studied the racy costume she was meant to wear. "I agreed to the name change and even the new uniforms but if you think for a second that I am putting that thing in my mouth you have a whole other thing coming for ya." She stated with the accent she had worked on perfecting for months.

"Come on, Soph, you are supposed to be Annie Oakley! You think she had all her teeth?" Jeff argued with a pleading look.

"You think she would be caught dead in a pair of shorts this short?" Sophie shot back as she picked up the shorts and held them up to her hips. "Honestly I think I might get arrested for prostitution in this get up and I refuse to wear a gold tooth. You can't fire me Jeff, I'm the best gal you got working here. Either lose the tooth or loose your best waitress, bartender, and dancer when Mel calls off which is only every Friday."

"Fine, don't wear the tooth!" the portly, balding, man threw up his hands. "But I better see that hair in piglets and that hat on your head all night. No excuses, I mean it Soph, we need to sell the idea of a Wild West Saloon and we can't do that without full participation." He reprimanded.

"Whatever you want." She grumbled as she turned back to the mirror. "At least Mel hasn't bagged out on tonight yet. We're short staffed as it is and I need to get home at a decent hour tonight or I think my father really will kick me out this time. He's sick of me working here and he especially dislikes you." She shouted at the retreating figure of her boss.

She saw his small wave before closing the dressing door and changing into that ridiculous costume.

Sophie had worked at the Saloon for years and seen it go through several name changes and with every new name came another theme, each one more elaborate and over done than the previous. This one had lasted the longest; Wild West was a big hit amongst patrons. Sophie suspected it had something to do with the bouncing can-can dancers that took to the stage every night. Regardless of reason this theme brought in the customers, which brought in money, which was really all she cared about at this point. Three more months at this pace and she would finally have enough to put a down payment on a house.

"Hey Mel." She greeted with a smile as she saw the red head strut through the doors as if she owned the place.

"Hi hun, did Jeff try and force you into that dumb gold tooth? I think he just had them left over from the pirate theme we did a while back. Remember those outfits?" She cackled at the memory of lace trimmed puffy shirts and leather corsets. "Who would have thought that the patrons of this fine establishment didn't like sexy pirates?" she asked jokingly.

"I think it had less to do with the sexy pirates and more to do with everyone's inability to properly serve food with a eye patch on." Sophie quipped with bark of a laugh. "He tried to get me to wear that thing but I put my foot down on that one. Let him push it onto one of the new girls." She shrugged as she tied the last ribbon in her hair. "Did you see the crowd out there? Saturday nights are always the biggest money-makers. Well except that time we got a bunch of families in here, does this place look like a place you would take your children?" She asked with wide eyes, examining herself in the mirror.

"It's your knowledge of where it's appropriate to bring your family for dinner that will make you a fabulous mother." Mel stated with a smirk before ducking behind the privacy screen to change.

"Have you seen this body?" Sophie called, running her hands down her sides. "It's the reason I'm never going to be a mother. If you think I am going to give up this for the headaches of motherhood you are sadly mistaken."

"And that attitude is the reason your still single." Mel shouted back.

"Hey, I'm single by choice. When the right guy comes along I'll fall into his arms and swoon like the proper lady I am under all this." She retorted as she lobbed an old sock over the screen. "Where were you last night, when you were so sick you couldn't make it to work?"

"Oh you know Nate was in a mood. He still doesn't like that I work here and I brought up that I didn't like that he slept with Alice. We started fighting." She explained as if she was describing the weather.

"I'm sorry, was it awful?" Sophie asked as concern etched her face.

"Oh no, it was all over in a matter of minutes but then we had to make it up to each other and that took the rest of the night." Mel stuck her head out and smirked.

"And now I'm sorry I even asked!" Sophie exclaimed as she threw her hands up. "I have to go my shift started five minutes ago and Jeff is already in a mood."

"See you out there, I don't start for another twenty minutes with the rest of the girls." Mel called with a wave.

"Yeah, yeah, just remember to call me Annie."

"God, did he change your name too? He told me to introduce myself as Clementine."

"He thinks the western saloon needs to be better branded." Sophie rolled her eyes. "He even gave me a CD to pick up an accent."

"You don't think he's taking this a bit too far?"

"It's Jeff, he takes everything to far. But that's the reason we stay, if things weren't chaos we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves." Sophie called over her shoulder as she walked out of the "employees only" area.

She looked around the bar and rolled her eyes. None of her family supported her decision to keep working there but the way Sophie saw it just made sense. She had worked here throughout all of her time at university and it had helped pay for tuition. She had been there when they were going to have to cut back on everyone's hours because they were haemorrhaging money, she would be damned if she was going to leave now that she was making a crazy amount of money.

"Howdy hun, what am I gettin' you to drink?" She asked as she sauntered up to her first table. A group of four men looking incredibly serious looked back at her. Even though her question was directed at the whole table she had taught herself to focus on the one that looked like he would be paying the bill and sorting out the tip.

"An old fashioned for me." The blond stated without looking her.

"You got it. I just need to see some identification." She thought she saw the man roll his eyes and she was sure she saw his companions smirk. "Look I don't doubt that you are over age but it's policy." She justified with a smile and a small shrug. "I don't make the rules I just don't want to go to jail, especially for a man that hasn't told me his name." She knowingly put her chest even further in his face as she inspected the ID he handed over. "Well, Carlisle, it's good to know I won't be facing time for you. Who's next?"

"A Jack and Coke if you please." The large one called in a voice that held only a trace of an accent.

"My pleasure, you know the drill." She waited as he surrendered his ID. "Well Emmett you sound like a southern boy, bit surprising you're a local." She smiled. "And I don't recognise you."

"I'm sure you see a lot of men walk through those doors, it would be near impossible to remember all of them." He replied with a boyish smile.

"Impossible for most, not for me." Sophie tapped her head with her index finger. "Photographic memory, once I see you I'll never forget you."

"I doubt that." The copper haired one finally spoke up.

"Can't doubt it if I can prove it." Sophie argued back. "What are you having to drink, Sweet pea?"

"A cola." He responded with a furrowed brow. "How could you prove it to me?"

"C450-108-429-305." She reeled off the numbers as she looked directly at the copper haired boy.

"Should that mean something to me?" He asked with his jaw tightening slightly.

"No, but they should mean something to Carlisle. Don't they shuga?" she smirked over at the blond.

"That is my drivers licence number." Carlisle frowned as he looked down to check the numbers. "Impressive."

"Oh that's not my only trick you should see me on Fridays. I can cut a rug if you know what I mean." She gestured up to the stage. "But in the mean time I'm just little old Annie." She smiled with a small wink.

"Well, Annie, I'd like a glass of your finest whiskey straight up." The man with shaggy blond hair and a somewhat wild look in his eye spoke up as he handed over his ID with out her asking.

"Very well, Jasper. I'll be right back with your drinks. In the mean time look over the menu, we have some pretty decent specials and if you have any questions just holler. Name's Annie, and welcome to Hell on Wheels."

Sophie leaned over the bar as she waited for her drinks. She was well aware of most men's eyes trained on her ass but chose to ignore it.

"Thanks, Bill." She said as the bartender handed her a tray laden with drinks. "See those guys over there?" she jerked her head slightly in the direction of the four men she was currently serving. Bill nodded slowly. "God, their skin is like ice. I mean it's like they have been out in the snow all day which make's no sense because this is San Diego and the middle of summer, I don't think we have had a day under ninety all week."

"Let it go Soph, you watch too much TV. Nothing funny happening here, just some guys with poor circulation and no dinks. Now get off my bar."

"Fine you don't like a good mystery. No need to be rude." She remarked as she walked away.

Sophie was half way to her table when some girl rushed around the corner looking haggard and running late. She wasn't watching where she was going and crashed into Sophie causing her to drop all of the drinks onto the floor, soaking her top and coating her boots in alcohol.

"What the hell!" She exclaimed looking at the girl that cowered at Sophie's rage. Sophie slammed the tray onto the floor and clenched her hands into fists.

"I am so sorry. Here let me pay for the drinks, I am so sorry." The girl stammered.

"Name?" Sophie barked.

"What?" The brunette asked in a soft voice with doe eyes.

"What is your name? I'm usually a bit nicer but most first meetings don't start with me smelling like the bar back's rag." She bit out.

"Sorry, my name's Isabella, I was supposed to start today. I just got done talking to Jeff and now I am running late and I wasn't watching were I was going. I'm so sorry." Isabella explained her eyes were brimming with tears.

"You're the new girl? Okay here's what you are going to do; buck up, stop apologising and go get a rag from John. We stopped using real glasses a while ago so just wipe the big puddles up. When you're done go in the back there and change into your uniform. You are going to shadow me for the next couple days and learn the way things work here." Sophie explained her eyes never softening. "And don't put that dumb tooth in your mouth, if your gonna hang with me you at least have to look good."

Isabella nodded quickly as her eyes roamed around the crowded restaurant. A loud bell rang out and the lights began to dim. Music began blaring from the stage as the dancers pranced out waving and winking suggestively at some of the patrons. Sophie saw Mel throwing flirtatious looks over at a man in the corner and rolled her eyes. She would bet fifty bucks it was Nate.

"What are you doing still standing here?" She demanded as she saw Isabella looking at the dancers. "Go!"

"Right, sorry." She apologised again earning a glare from Sophie before scampering off to find a rag.

Five minutes later Sophie had a new tray of drinks and a new shirt. She still carried a small hint of booze but figured most would be able to ignore it.

"Oi, Bell! When your ready come find me." She called as she walked over to the men. "Sorry about the wait, boys. Have you had a chance to look over the menu?" She smiled as she felt Bella come to her side. "I have not had the opportunity to introduce y'all to Bell, our newest cowgirl."

"Oh we've already met." Emmett grinned goofily.

"She didn't spill drinks on you too, did she?" Sophie saw Isabella's cheeks flame red and she gave her a slight nudge.

"Not quite." The copper haired one laughed.

"I am terribly sorry but I don't think I understand." Sophie smiled at Jasper, who had yet to say a word.

"Bell here is family." Jasper finally explained.

"Oh and you all came to support her? What great brothers! Let me guess, older, older, older, younger." Sophie pointed at Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and Edward respectively. "And Bell falls right in the middle."

"Actually Edward is my boyfriend." Isabella finally explained. "And Carlisle is his father."

"I see." Sophie nodded. "Right, so what can I get you?"

"Four steaks, rare." Carlisle ordered handing over the menus.

"Sure thing! Bell, when you have a chance." Sophie motioned her head away from the table.

Sophie stalked away from the table and over to the kitchen. She waited for Isabella and glared at everyone that stepped too close to her. She saw Isabella sidle up and look around with doe eyes.

"So I place my orders here?" She asked innocently.

"Look here Bambi, I want to like you. Your pretty, which is good for tips, and seem sweet enough but you are actin' dumber than a sack of bricks which is bad for business." Sophie lectured to Isabella.

She was gnashing on her bottom lip and her eyes darted around looking at the cooks that were smartly avoiding all eye contact.

"I'm sorry -" she started before Sophie cut her off.

"What did I say about the apologies?"

"Right, sorry. I mean, okay it won't happen again. What exactly did I do wrong?" Isabella asked as she slapped her head against her hand.

"You're the new girl, you don't have the same privileges that some of the girls have here. Here's how it works: girls like me and Mel have been around since forever, we get to dance on the bar and bring our boyfriends in and show them off. We also get first pick on the radio. New girls like you need to leave the personal shit at the door. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yeah I got it, I won't bring Edward in. I promise I didn't know he was coming he was trying to surprise me." She justified.

"He's your distraction, once you've paid your dues and proven that you're worth your weight then you can bring family around."

"So you're banning my family from the restaurant?" She asked timidly.

"No, I'm banning you from serving them. Tonight, it is what it is, but in the future if you see your boyfriend sitting at one of your tables, you ask another girl to take it for you. And yes, this is where you place orders. This is Luis, best chef on the west cost, anything you want he can make it."

They walked over to the bar and Sophie loaded down her tray with drinks for her tables. She glanced up at the stage as the dancers filed off with promises to be back in two hours. That was when she saw Mel adopt a feral look in her eye as she looked towards the door. Sophie followed her friend's stare and her jaw dropped to the floor.

"That bitch has a lot of nerve to show up here!" She exclaimed as she saw what Mel must have seen.

Alice had just flounced into the bar like she owned it and was smiling over at them.

"God, who does she think she is? I mean really you don't fuck my best friends fiancé and just come trotting around like a damn show horse!" Sophie grumbled. "Watch out Bambi, shit's gonna hit the fan!" Sophie looked back at Mel and saw her getting back up on the stage and grabbing the microphone that had been left there.

"Hey, Bitch!" Mel called from the stage with her blonde wig shaking violently. "Just what do you think you are doing here? This here is my house and for the love of God I want you out!" She screamed into the crowd with her eyes fixed on the waif of a girl.

The customers were shocked into silence. Some looked as if they were about to cheer the blonde on while others looked annoyed with the display.

"I have to stop this, she is going to hurt herself if she is up there for any longer by herself." Sophie whispered as she slammed her tray on the bar.

"I don't understand. Alice did this? But she's with -" Isabella tried to explain before she was cut off.

"You know this bitch?" Sophie screamed. "Stop her, Get her out of here!" She ordered before storming away. "C'mon, Clem! It's time for you to go home. Nate, give me a hand here." Sophie called as she looked around for Nate but he was gone. "Damn boy I knew he was trouble." She mumbled under her breath as Mel continued fighting against her grasp.

As Sophie fought to keep Mel from lunging off the stage at Alice, she saw a glint of silver peak out from under Mel's skirts. She thought nothing of it until she saw Mel's hand fly down to grab at it.

"GUN!" Sophie bellowed causing the patrons to start rushing for the exit. "Mel! Stop, what are you thinking? He's not worth it!" She cried even as she saw her friend pull the trigger.

With the loudest noise she could have ever imagined her head whipped around. She had missed her target; Alice was standing next to Isabella, who was laying on the ground bleeding.

"What have you done?" Sophie cried as Mel moved to fire again. "Mel! NO, stop!" She yelled this time lodging herself between Mel and her target.

Sophie did not expect her friend to fire with her in the way, but her actions came too late. By the time she blocked Mel's view she already had her finger on the trigger.

Pain radiated throughout Sophie's chest. Breathing became agony as a fire ripped through her. Her vision was becoming hazy and the screams sounded distant, as if earmuffs blocked her hearing.

"Mommy." She whimpered as she felt cold hands wrap around her head. A blond head swam before Sophie's vision. "Help me. I'm dying." She whispered. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die." She repeated again and again. "I'm not ready yet. I have so much left to do, please!" She was begging and somewhere in the back of her mind she was ashamed of her actions.

She heard the blond bark out orders with an authoritative voice.

"Get Edward out of here!" She heard over the roar of people still fleeing towards the exit.

Sophie thought she heard words like 'Bella' and 'coma' as sirens began blaring. She could not grasp at reality any longer. The enticing warmth of the darkness became too much and forced her eyes shut.

She was warm as she opened her eyes. It was as if a beam of sunlight had parted the clouds just for her. She could not hold back the contented sigh that left her lips as she looked around. It appeared to be a meadow of some sort, she could see mountains in the background peeked with snow. Wildflowers grew in unimaginable numbers in vibrant colours, ranging from lavender to crimson and past that to colours Sophie did not have a name for.

"Is this heaven?" she mused aloud assuming that if this was really heaven some angel should arrive and inform her of her fate.

"How could this be heaven? Heaven is where you have all that you love! I could never be happy here!" The woman beside her exclaimed, her long chestnut locks dropping in front of her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. What's your name? I'm – well I can't rightly seem to remember. How curious." Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall her own name. She didn't feel the panic she thought she should have felt for not remembering her own name.

"I can't remember! All I know is that I feel as if I am being pulled apart in a million different directions." She declared with a sob.

Sophie was beginning to become annoyed with the woman next to her. It wasn't as if she was going through this scary ordeal by herself! She could at least pretend to hold it together.

"Okay, so what do you want to be called? You kind of look like an Addison to me. I always thought that would be a splendid name for a child." Sophie rambled as she tried to get the girl to stop weeping.

"How do you know what you thought would be a good name for a child but don't know your own name?" the girl exclaimed as she looked up at her.

"I don't know! How come you feel as if your being drawn and quartered?" Sophie demanded with a small tilt of her head.

The girl shut her mouth at that one and looked down at her feet.

"I'm nineteen years old." She finally mumbled. "But I don't know how I know that."

"I think I am twenty three and I think my mother is dead." Sophie said the words she had been thinking since she woke up.

"I'm sorry." The girl whispered.

"I don't think I ever knew her. I don't think a girl that knew her mother could do what I do, at least not in any real way. How could she look at her mother when she comes home? How could her mother look at her?" Her voice wavered but she did not cry.

"What do you think you did?" Addison finally asked with as slight hitch in her voice.

"What 'we' did. I mean look at how we are dressed. There aren't many professions where this is suitable attire. I don't even want to say it." Sophie looked down at her boots. "Effing western themed hooters." She muttered to herself.

"We weren't – that – I mean." Addison exclaimed. "We couldn't have been! I mean look I have a wedding ring on, I wouldn't have -" She stumbled over her words.

"How do you know what you would have done? I just named you five minutes ago! Honestly Bells you make this hard!" She yelled without thinking about it.

"What did you just call me?"

"Bells, I called you Bells -" Sophie roared back without thinking about why she was asking.

"That isn't the name you gave me." Bells reasoned with a small smile.

"Oh." Sophie mumbled. "I must have remembered your name." She offered a guilty smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

"It's fine. I think we are remembering, our past that is." She explained.

"I remember a lot of pain," Sophie admitted. "Right here, it was like I was on fire, only worse because I wasn't so there was no way to make it stop." She pressed into her left shoulder with two fingers exactly where she remembered the burn. Even now in the utopia she had found herself in the pain was still there. She winced slightly. "It's like a perfect circle. You know, I think," she paused, not wanting to sound dramatic. "I think I was shot."

"So was I, right here." Bells lifted up the side of her shirt to expose a perfectly round circle.

"Why aren't we bleeding? I mean, that looks weeks old but that doesn't make any sense! We should be in the hospital!"

"Maybe we are past saving. But that doesn't make sense either because I wouldn't be here. Edward would have changed me. I mean we agreed that I would go to University before I changed but he had to change me if I was about to die."

Sophie was lost in Bells' ramblings.

"What are you changing into, a pumpkin?" She asked with a snort.

"Don't be silly! I was going to be like them I was going to be a vampire." She explained as if that were the most logical explanation in the world.

Sophie raised her eyebrows so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.

"Maybe we are both nuts and we are in some medication induced hallucination." She reasoned. "Vampire's don't exist. Besides I met Edward he didn't have even a trace of a Transylvanian accent, and really what vampire worth a damn doesn't have an accent?"

"The real kind." Bella answered with an eye-roll. "Do you remember what happened to us now?" She asked as a side thought.

"I think so. I think I remember my friend trying to kill yours, I think I jumped in front of the gun."

"Why?" Bells asked sounding shocked.

"Mel is a sweet person. She might have hated Alice but she would have hated herself more if she killed her. I thought I could stop her, I didn't intend on getting killed for a two timing whore." She responded without thought, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you remember your name? I know mine, I'm Isabella Marie Swan, and I don't think I am dead yet."

"I am Sophie Martinez, I am Chippewa, and I know I am alive." She responded as she held her head up high.

"You are Native American?" Bells questioned. "I had a friend that was Native American. You don't look like he did."

"Well a few years ago some Spaniard knocked on my Nana's tipi and raped her and then kept her as property." She snapped. "Did you really think we all looked alike?"

"No." Bella responded bitterly before folding in on herself. "When do you suppose we will get back to reality?"

"Let me consult the spirits, should we hold a powwow while were at it?"

"It was just a question! There is no reason to yell at me." Bells retorted showing that she actually did have some sort of a backbone.

"Fine, I don't know. We might never go back."

"Where would we go?" She asked sounding worried.

"Well we might stay here for forever, like in limbo or something. Or we could dream up some other location but never really wake up." Sophie thought for a minute.

"I think I should like to dream up someplace new. Maybe I could go back and see Edward when he was a human."

"Are you still trying to convince me that Edward's a vampire?"

"Yes, him and all the other men at that table, and Alice and a few others." She nodded.

"You need a trip to the loony bin, Swan." Sophie laughed as she leaned back into the long grass.

"I'm not crazy, Edward is over 100 years old! And Jasper and Carlisle are both older."

"Right, whatever helps you sleep at night." Sophie rolled her eyes. "I on the other hand think it would be very fun to kick it with the Rolling Stones back before the first farewell tour." She stretched her arms out over her head. "Actually a musical tour throughout the ages seems about heaven to me."

"Don't you have anyone you love?" Bella sounded like she was breaking apart a little.

"Um," Sophie scrunched her face up. "At one point we had a house cat that I was pretty fond of but he ran off a few months ago. I'll miss my Dad, but he has more family so I don't need to worry about him. No, no, love for Sophie. No one I can't live without."

"But that's so sad!" Bella finally dissolved into tears yet again.

"It was a personal choice! Never had a serious boyfriend, kept my friends at arms length." She shrugged. "I was happy."

"Does that mean you never?" Bella gestured at her hips.

"Had sex?" Sophie snorted. "I'm a virgin not a twelve year old. I was just waiting for the right guy."

"Aren't you afraid it's going to hurt? That there will be all this blood?" Bella's lower lip quivered before she bit it.

"Who has been filling your head with horror stories? Unless your boyfriend, or fiancé, or whatever, is Godzilla and really doesn't give a crap about you it shouldn't be traumatic."

"How would you know?"

"Because I've talked about it with my friends and I'm pre-med. Bet you never guessed there was a brain under all this beauty." Bella looked unconvinced but she said nothing. "I'm going to start walking." Sophie stood up and brushed the grass off her shorts. "That direction looks like a good one." She pointed off to the south. "Are you coming?"

Bella sniffled for a minute before nodding her head.

"Good. Let's see if we can find Led Zeppelin." She laughed at her own joke and was kind of disappointed when Bella didn't answer.

They didn't talk on their walk. Bella was almost holding herself together with her arms and crying softly. By the end of the second hour Sophie had enough.

"Stop it! You aren't dead yet! You start acting like you are and what's the point of even trying? You fight this, you get stronger, you wake up and you find your loved ones and you live. Or you die. Those are your options." Her voice had become as venomous as a snake but she couldn't find the will to stop it. Someone had to snap her out of the funk she had created.

They walked for yet another hour, seemingly uphill, and had yet to come across anyone. The sun, that had previously seemed welcoming and friendly, now beat down on Sophie's neck and made her want to scream. Her feet hurt and she was slowly beginning to think that it wasn't heaven but hell that they had found themselves in.

"I give up!" She suddenly roared and stomped her foot, looking up to the sky. "DO you hear me God? I give, you win, what sins could I have committed to make you this angry with me? Is it because I worked on the Sabbath? I'm sorry! I used your name in vain more than you liked? I'm sorry!" She was yelling at the top of her lungs and suddenly realised how thirsty she was.

It was as if the tickle in the back of her throat became an out right itch, before it became unbearable. Within a matter of minutes she was on her knees, her fists pounding at the ground.

"I'm thirsty! And my feet hurt! And I've been walking for hours with no one but you! And you keep crying!" Sophie was almost in tears herself but didn't have the water to waste. "You love him! I get that, but come on! Aren't you tired of crying? I'll get you back to him, I promise, but first I need you to help me find water!" She was promising a thing she could never guarantee but her need for water overrode common logic.

She flopped onto her back and vaguely felt the ground shaking as she closed her eyes. Sophie closed her eyes and did something she never thought she would do. She prayed, she prayed for water, for answers, for a way to shut the crying girl up, but mostly she prayed that she would wake up and the fire in the back of her throat would go away. Sophie could still hear Bella's crying next to her.

"Help! Help!" She heard Bella cry.

_'Finally, she managed to stop crying and start helping' _She thought vaguely as she heard Bella get up and run over to something or someone. It was only a few seconds later before Sophie heard the scream.

**AN: Hi all, so I'm trying this one out. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet so it might be dead in the water after a few more chapters. Let me know what you are thinking. Reviews are more than encouraged!**


	2. Chapter 2

"What is it? What's wrong?" She yelled as she hopped to her feet raising her arms in fists and only wavering slightly.

She appraised the situation as quickly as her mudded mind would allow her. There was a man on a horse about three metres in the direction they had just come from and Bella was running away screaming her head off. Bella ran over to Sophie and huddled behind her.

"Are you hiding behind me?" Sophie asked, slightly taken aback by the girl's reaction. "Seriously?"

"Look at him! It's Jasper, but it's not. Look at him! Look!" Bella was quaking. "His eyes, they're wrong, and his skin. Look!" She demanded again her finger pointed accusingly at the blond.

"Stop pointing, it's rude." Sophie scolded as she pulled Bella's hand down.

At this point the man had gotten off his horse and was holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. He was walking closer to them slowly and Sophie could take in his whole appearance. He looked like a soldier. But not the kind that she was used to seeing.

San Diego was a large navy town and as a result men in all sorts of uniform were a common sight in the bar. But this guy, he was straight out of a different century. Sophie squinted her eyes slightly, trying to make her vision stop swirling.

"I've," She coughed slightly before starting again. "I've seen pictures of men like you." Her voice was harsh and made her sound like a chain smoker. "It's, it's not possible. Don't come any closer!" Her eyes went wide as she turned back to Bella. "Run. I know where I've seen the pictures." She whispered. "History class. Think, Civil War, your teacher probably showed you pictures of the Victory at Antietam."

"I - I don't remember." Bella looked petrified. Her gaze kept flickering towards the soldier. "Antietam?"

"Stop looking at him!" Sophie yelled. "Would you just do what I say, and run? Preferably north?" Her voice returned to a whisper.

"But we just walked south."

"Then run in whatever direction you want but you really don't want to be around me right now."

"Why? Why not?" Bella stammered over her words still looking at him.

"Do I look white to you? Think! We just walked south, we are dressed like prostitutes, and you think I can just pass off my colour as a nice tan?"

"But it's 2014, no body cares about that. You aren't black, and even if you were it wouldn't matter." Sophie rolled her eyes but figured now wasn't the time to talk about over privileged white girls.

"Excuse me. Would you mind telling me the date?" Sophie turned back to the blond who hadn't moved since she told him to stop.

"Pardon me ma'am. It's October 3rd." He pulled his grey slouched hat off his head.

Sophie nodded.

"And the year?" She smiled politely even though she wanted to scream and hide because the last date she remembered was August 10th.

The man's brow furrowed.

"1862 of course." He responded slowly. "Can I help you? Did I hear you call Antietam a victory? Do you know how many bothers I lost that day?" A fire burned in his eyes.

"Right, of course. That must have been awful. Can I just ask one more thing?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Is that a sword, right there on your hip?" She smiled only to cover her fear.

"It's called a saber." The man nodded, still clearly confused by the questioning.

Sophie took a deep breath before turning back to Bella. She made wide eyes but said nothing, she had given up on the idea that they could run away and hoped only that she was wrong about the tan. She turned back to the man and this time really looked at his face. She took in a gulp of air as she realised that Bella was talking about. He wasn't the same as the man that she met at the bar, but he was incredibly close. The man she met at the bar was dead compared to this man. This man oozed life. Everything about him was alive. His grey eyes sparkled and his skin was tanned from years of hard work. Lean muscles covered his body and his hands had deep callouses.

"It's an honour to meet such a young officer. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Sophie Sinclair." She held her hand out even as she felt her body scream for water now that her adrenaline rush had worn out.

"Major Jasper Whitlock, at your service." He gave a short bow and grasped her hand.

Sophie felt little tingles run down her spine causing her to shiver. She looked Jasper in the eye and noticed his eyes sparkle a little extra, indicating he felt it too. But instead of saying anything he placed a small kiss on her knuckles before standing straight again. Sophie took a moment, still staring at Jasper. His eyes started darting between Bella and Sophie. He cleared his throat a little gaining Sophie's attention.

"Right, sorry, this is my." She paused trying to think of what connection would be best. "Sister," She finally decided. "Isabella."

"Miss Isabella." Jasper bowed slightly again but Bella pulled back her hand when he stepped closer.

"Sorry she's a little shy, you look a lot like someone she used to know." She elbowed Bella slightly. "If you could just give us one moment." She held up her finger and scrunched her nose in a way that people had told her made her look approachable.

None to gently she pulled on Bella's sleeve and dragged her over a few feet.

"So basically what I'm getting from this is either we're dreaming or this is some twisted Delorean trip. Either way I think we should just go with it."

"What if this is hell? Like you said." Bella pushed her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's not hell. Trust me." She looked over at Jasper and shook her head slightly. "But it sure as hell isn't heaven either. If it was there would be a stream of ice water right there and I would be able to drink it dry." She scratched at her throat absentmindedly. "And I wouldn't be dressed like a whore in front of a stranger." She purposely left out that it was a stranger that she immediately felt some sort of connection to.

"I don't know. The Jasper I knew was a human during the civil war. He was a major at twenty. This guy he looks just like him and the time fits."

"Jesus Christ! Grow up, Bells!" Sophie broke as she lunged forward and shook her by the shoulders. "Vampires are scary stories you tell children to make them behave! They aren't real!"

"Explain this then. Explain why we are both having the same dream? Why is the detail so specific? If we are dreaming why can't we make a stream appear? Why do we feel like we are dying?"

"You want me to say that all of this is real? That we somehow really went back of time as a result of supernatural voodoo or something?" Sophie yelled. "I woke up this morning with the right to vote and now I'm not even going to be counted as a full person?" She let out a grunt. "All I wanted was to meet Jagger."

"He's just waiting over there. We should go over and see if he can help us. We can't keep walking forever." Bella crossed her arms but the gesture came off looking like an attempt to hold herself together. Sophie sighed but saw her point.

"So the game plan is we say that we are sisters. I have – had – an aunt that lived – will live – in Virginia, let's say that's where we are from and if he asks any questions you let me answer okay?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I don't want to test the theory that you can't die in dreams, and they will kill us if they think we are spies." Sophie couldn't bring her voice above a whisper.

"But we aren't! We're waitresses! I told him this was a bad idea, I should have just changed after graduation, but no I had to experience more life." Bella muttered to herself wiping the tears off of her face with one arm still wrapped securely around her torso.

Sophie could only manage to roll her eyes at the mutterings, unable to find the energy to argue that vampires don't exist again. She walked back to Jasper, who was still standing where the girls had left him with his hat in his hands and his eyes downcast.

"Do you have any money?" She stopped and turned back to Bella suddenly as something struck her.

"What?" Bella asked pulled from her own thoughts by the question.

"Like tips and stuff do you have anything like that?" Bella shook her head. "Good, I need to get rid of mine." Sophie explained. She pulled out a small wad or singles and showed what she meant. "Try paying for anything here with something that says the United States of America and everything is shot all to hell." She started ripping up the singles slowly and was still working when she turned to look back at Jasper.

"Excuse me, Mister Whitlock, perhaps you could help point us in the right direction to the closest town."

"Do you have family in Houston?" He asked suddenly, his eyes never leaving the grass.

Sophie shot a look at Bella and tilted her head to the side. Without moving her mouth she whispered 'Texas', her eyes growing impossibly wider.

"No, our family is dead." She didn't know how the lie sprung so naturally to her lips but once she started she found it impossible to stop. What scared her most was that it was so convincing that she had to remind herself that it was all an act. "Our brother was slaughtered in Virginia on Malvern Hill. Lieutenant Colonel Jonathon Sinclair, with the 21st Virginia Infantry."

"He was serving his country." Jasper nodded as a sign of respect.

"Our Mother died giving me life." Bella cut in shrugging at Sophie's look of confusion before looking down at her shoes.

"Papa passed about a year before the war, of consumption." Sophie supplied finally. She wondered slightly where she remembered details like Malvern Hill and 21st Virginia Infantry but decided it must be her brain digging up random stored bits of information from her last history class. She knew enough from her studies at University that Consumption was the name used for Tuberculosis and raged wild during this war. Without treatment, it was a death sentence.

"And there is no one here for you?" He clarified.

"No sir. Our brother's final wish was for us to move farther away from the fighting. Of course he wasn't aware that it was going to be his final wish."

"Is there any reason you are dressed the way you are?" He finally questioned. "In men's clothing." His eyes never left the ground and a deep red stained his cheeks.

Bella laughed so low that only Sophie could hear.

"I never thought the day would come when I would see Jasper blush." She whispered.

At this Sophie did have to crack a small smile, despite how embarrassed she was to be so underdressed. The next words that sprung to her lips made her want to be violently ill but she forced them out, self-preservation instinct overwhelming ancestral pride.

"We took the train but were ambushed by a group of savages. They kept us for days; finally one of them must have taken pity on us and released us, or maybe he was just done with his playthings, we didn't stop to ask questions. We took clothes we found and have been walking ever since." The sentiment, everything she was implying about her own people, brought a tear to her eye.

Jasper must have taken it as her reliving a horrid memory because he immediately began apologising. She was sure they looked the part; she knew Bella certainly did. Her eyes were rimed with red and her cheeks flushed from exertion and sun, her hair was a mess and a couple stray leaves were sticking out. Both of their hands were covered in dirt and Bella had it smudged across her face some how. Sophie was sure she looked no better and was almost positive she looked worse.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to remind you." He murmured looking up briefly at Sophie before glancing down again.

"It's okay, we lived. But we have been walking for such a long time and both of us could use water." Sophie wanted to skate around the story she had spun. "As well as directions into town."

"I would be happy to escort you into town however I think it may be better it we waited until dark. I understand your situation however others will not be so forgiving." He warned. "Do you have any money on you?"

"No." Sophie admitted as her eyes grew thinking about the challenges this presented her with. "I suppose we will, um, have to find jobs." She whispered panicking for a moment, unsure about what kind of job two women could hold that wouldn't be totally demeaning. "Bells, your ring!" She suddenly exclaimed as the solution to all their problems.

"What about it?" Bella moved her hand so that it was hidden behind her body.

"We could pawn it and -" Sophie started but Bella started yelling.

"No! No you can't have it! It's all I have left of him! You can't ask me to do that! I can't!" She cried backing up.

"Bella, Bella I'm just saying we could pawn it and come back for it later." Sophie tired to reason.

"Don't come near me! You can't take this from me! I'd die first!" Sophie rolled her eyes at her dramatics.

"Fine, don't save us! I'll do everything myself just like always!" She threw up her hands and tilted her head to the sky.

"No, you will come with me. I am headed home for a few weeks before being sent out again. My mother and father have more than enough room in their home." Jasper demanded suddenly looking up.

"That is very kind of you, but you don't have to." Sophie tried to argue, though the idea of being taken care of for once in her life was tempting.

"It would be an honour to fulfil a fallen brother's dying wish." Jasper demanded again with an air of finality in his voice. He nodded once more before turning back to his horse and taking a small canteen down and handing it to Sophie. "Please take as much as you need." He encouraged but Sophie could not be bothered to listen. She had already attached her mouth to the rim and took a long gulp.

As soon as she was done she handed it to Bella who took and equally long pull from the bottle before handing it back to Jasper.

"Thank you," Sophie practically panted over at him. She watched with curiosity as he started taking things off the horse and started setting up camp. He appeared to be sweating bullets underneath his heavy coat but had yet to make a move to take it off. "Is there anything we can do to help?" She asked after a moment of starting at him.

He didn't respond with words instead just shook his head and continued working.

"Then maybe you want to take off your jacket and take a drink of water." She suggested as politely as possible. She was terrified that he was going to get heat stroke if he didn't cool down. "And we can do something. Well I can, Bella here was born with two left feet." She smirked at the memory of spilled booze thinking it felt like forever ago.

"No Miss. Sinclair, I wouldn't dream of asking you to help me after what you and your sister escaped." He looked at her now with sympathy. Sophie couldn't maintain eye contact after that. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes before turning away.

She had painted the story of two victims without even pausing to think about why. She had called her own ancestors savages. She was disgusted in herself.

"We need to talk." Bella whispered over at her as they passed by one another. "Now!"

Sophie's head whipped towards Bella and she scowled.

"What do you need?" Sophie was annoyed that she couldn't just live in this dream alone, without having to take care of someone else. "I'm trying to get us out of here, I promise." She sighed as she sat down next to Bella.

"It's not that. It's the story you just made up, the one about us." Bella made wide eyes and looked around as if her whisper was going to carry. "How did you know all that stuff? You changed our names, made us sisters, and gave us a brother."

"It would have stuck out like a sore thumb if we didn't have some sort of story. I don't know how I named those places they just felt right. The thing with the Native Americans makes me want to cause physical pain to myself but something told me to go with it. It just came out of my mouth before I could process it." Sophie swore almost to herself. She hoisted her foot up across her knee and pulled one boot off, grimacing at the smell of stale alcohol that had embedded itself there. "I smell like a distillery thanks to you." She grumbled, pulling off the second.

"Right, but I want to know how I knew you were going to say it? How I was going to say it if you didn't?" Bella looked straight at Sophie and she saw the terror reflected here. "This is terrifying. We can't keep up the act forever someone is going to find us out. We don't act like we belong, we look like we belong!" Her voice grew and Sophie could see Jasper looking over at them.

"That's because we don't belong!" Sophie finally broke. "But we should try just to see where it takes us. My father," Sophie paused and let her voice return to a whisper. "He used to talk about spirits and a whole bunch of stuff I could never understand, but what he really talked about was destiny."

"You're saying you think this trip, this experience, it's destiny? That we were sent here by spirits?" Bella looked unconvinced.

"I'm just saying that shit happens for a reason. I don't know if it's spirits or God or the damn Devil himself, I'm just saying -" Bella held up a hand.

"Got it, shit happens. Well shit happened all over us." She frowned, "and I still feel like a part of me just got up and left."

"Bella, did you just curse?" Sophie tilted her head and smirked a little.

"You've known me for one night! How do you now I don't curse all the time?"

"You stuttered over the word shit. Honey, I don't think you working at the bar was ever really going to work out." Sophie laughed a little and patted Bella's hand.

"You can fire me when we get home, right now we're sisters and we're in a mess." Bella folded in on herself and hugged at her sides. "I feel like I'm falling apart."

"You told me. I'm sorry about asking you to pawn your ring, I was feeling really desperate."

"Doesn't make it any less true. It's okay, I just can't give it up, and right now it feels like it's the only thing keeping me together." Sophie sighed and wrapped her arms around Bella, pulling her in. "Are you hugging me?" she asked.

"Shut up. I don't usually do this so take it and don't question it. If you're falling apart I suppose I can try to help hold you together." Sophie whispered as she rested her chin on Bella's head and looked over at Jasper.

He was still working and sweating and hadn't taken off his jacket. He was chopping firewood and setting up a tent and making camp.

"That man is going to kill himself." Sophie whispered. "I'm going to go make sure our knight in shining armour doesn't give himself a heat stroke." She rolled her eyes and detangled herself from Bella.

She walked up to Jasper, still barefoot, trying to remind herself not to do any of the tricks she was used to doing. She had to seem modest and timid and fitting of the time. But she still had to get her point across. If he over did it and killed himself they would have even more problems on their hands.

Sophie came up to Jasper mid-chop and held her hands up.

"Hey, hey, hey!" She called. "Stop for a second there." Her voice was calm as she walked closer to him. She saw his eyebrows quirk at her actions but kept walking towards him. She smiled. "I'm trying to help. Can, can you let me do that?" She sounded like she was trying to coax a wild bear into a cage. She paused waiting for his answer.

Jasper looked like he was going to shake his head but instead she saw a minute nod and she began to walk forward again.

"Okay, does your head hurt?" She asked stepping towards him and confidently putting a hand to his head to take his temperature. "You are sweating a lot and running a fever. Sit down for a minute, okay? Your head, how does it feel?" She repeated, gently pushing him to sit on the grass before she knelt down next to him.

"Like it's about to explode." He admitted as he looked directly into her eyes, she didn't try to break contact.

"Okay." She tried not to let her fear slip onto her face. "I'm going to take off your jacket, and then I'm going to take off your boots." She had already swiped his hat off his head. "You lose the most body heat from your head, your feet, and your chest." She worked on the buttons quietly and helped him out of the heavy grey coat.

"How do you know that?" He asked leaning propped against a tree.

"I was in training to be a nurse back home." She supplied off the top of her head. "It's how I know I can help you. I've seen this before." Lie, she had read about it before but her extent of knowledge started and ended with WebMD.

Sophie took his jacket and slung it over her shoulder before lifting one of his feet and undoing the lacings.

"Wool socks?" Her brow came together in a frown.

"They are nice at night when the sun goes down and takes the heat." Jasper defended.

"Yes but right now, in the middle of the day, not so much." She smiled as she released one foot in exchange for another. "There is not point in crying over spilt milk now. I need you to just sit here for about twenty minutes and tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" His voice sounded gruff but Sophie looked past that and saw that he was hiding something.

"Let's start with the basics. How old is our knight in shining armour?" She laughed hoping to get him to open up to her a little.

"I'm twenty two years old, youngest Major in the Confederate army." He boasted looking proud as a peacock. "How about you? How old is my nurse?" He chuckled.

Sophie moved her head back at his words. She had never been someone's anything, other than daughter, and the way he said it made it sound really attractive. He must have taken the look on her face for displeasure because he immediately started back pedalling.

"I didn't mean that to offend you in any way. I just was -" he looked like he was going to say more but Sophie cut him off.

"No, no it's fine I understood what you meant. I'm twenty three." She smiled and sat back on her knees. "I've lived through a lot in life, I'm not as easily offended as you might think. And even if I was that wouldn't have done it."

"And you aren't married?" he asked with a confused face.

"No, I just never found the right man and I had to take care of my sister." She shrugged.

"What about your sister? Has Miss Isabella found someone?" He looked over at Bella, who had laid herself down on the grass and was hugging her torso again.

Sophie let out a breath.

"She is – was – engaged." Sophie quirked her head trying to figure out the time thing as she said it. Probably the proper term was 'will be' but that would make no sense to anyone besides herself and Bella. "Lots of things have changed recently. Although I don't think her feelings are one of them." The pair both looked at Bella until she moved again breaking their trance.

"Did he die?"

"More like he went missing. I wouldn't put it past her to go looking for him though, she's," Sophie paused unsure of the word to describe Bella. She had never seen anybody act the way she was.

"In love?" Jasper supplied finally.

"I suppose you could call it that." She mumbled but deep down she knew it was so much more than that. It was more than plain love or simple lust it even surpassed passion and bordered on obsession. "How about you? Are you married?" She looked for a change of topic.

"No, I never met the right woman. Not that my mother hasn't thrown every girl she can at me. She keeps telling me she needs grandbabies."

Sophie must have made a face because Jasper was chuckling at her.

"What?" She asked finally.

"Do you not want children?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"It's not that, it's just, I've had to take care of people my whole life. I took care of my father after my mother passed, I took care of my sister, and I practically raised myself. I just thought one of these days maybe I wouldn't have to. Maybe if I found the right guy I wouldn't mind it but just going off the idea alone, no I'm not so crazy over it." She smiled.

"I feel the same but mostly because I can't imagine leaving a child in a war."

"That's very noble of you. A true gentleman, it's hard to find those where I'm from." Sophie leaned closer to Jasper.

"Are there no gentlemen in Virginia?"

"They must have all gone to war." Her smile was flirtatious even though every part of her brain was telling her to stop.

_'__Don't flirt with the confederate, don't do it Sophie! He hates you, and your kind. As soon as he finds out about you he's going to lose interest. Playing with fire!_' her brain practically yelled at her but she ignored it and batted her lashes anyways.

"Can I get up now?" He asked suddenly.

"Let me check." She moved her body to run her hand along his forehead. His temperature had gone down and she really didn't have an excuse to keep him there any longer. "Yes, you can go if you want." She gestured to the small pile of wood he had made. "Do you really think we need that? It's just one night, right?"

"We probably won't use it but I would rather have it than not." He flushed even further, a blush more than could be accounted for by the sun.

"Well I think that's more than enough for tonight, especially if you aren't going to let us help." Sophie giggled as she let her hand trail from his forehead to his cheek. "I'm serious, only do what you have to and then sit down and relax." She stood up and held out her hand to him. "Promise me."

He took her hand and hoisted himself up, barely placing any weight on her. As he stood he stumbled slightly and his body came closer to hers, not quite touching but closer than before. Sophie sucked in a breath.

"I promise." He whispered before moving away leaving her breathless.

_'__Absolute fire!'_ Her brain yelled again.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you've really never had a boyfriend?" Bella interrogated again as Sophie sat down next to her.

"Really. I don't know it's not like I never had people that were interested in me I just never felt the same. One time I tried something with this guy in high school, the next week I saw wanted posters with his mug shot on them. Apparently he was the school's dealer and he had run off with some girl, wanted for questioning for something. Long story short I have pretty much the worst luck with men."

_'__Including right now!' _the little voice in her mind shouted.

"I just ask because you, at the bar, I mean, it didn't seem like you were a, you know." Bella made a gesture with her hand and raised her eyebrows.

"It's not a dirty word Bella. I'm a virgin, and kinda proud of it. At the bar, men expect a certain person, the tip extra for that kind of person. I was three months away from a down payment on a house and I was living as close to debt free as one can, I'd say my strategy was working." Their voices were hushed so that Jasper couldn't over hear.

"Didn't you ever get tired of that act? Men just looked at you like meat, didn't you want to just stop." Bella's features twisted as if she were trying to figure out a really hard math problem.

Sophie tilted her head to the side, trying to determine how to best articulate the answer she thought should be so obvious.

"Men saw a flirtatious and easy lay, women saw a whore and a slut, but I never saw those things in myself. There's a pretty big difference, it's important to see that." Sophie finally stated, still unsatisfied with the way it had come out. It was more of a feeling than a tangible piece of evidence.

"I don't understand." Bella admitted finally.

"I never saw those things in myself because I know they aren't true. So in the end everything everyone else says is just crap." She explained.

"You don't even believe that." Bella whispered with a look over at Jasper.

"I just can't explain it to you. If I could you would understand, you would see what I mean." Sophie pressed her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Are you feeling okay?" Bella questioned as she placed a hand on Sophie's shoulder, trying to be caring. "You don't look so good."

"I feel like my insides are going to explode." Sophie barely managed to pant our before slumping into her knees. "Give me like ten seconds and I'm just going to try to burry it, or something." Veins popped out on her neck as she tried to control the fire that had spread from her bullet wound throughout most of her chest.

_10_, she counted in her head trying to will the burning away. _This isn't real, anything you are feeling right now, and it's all in your head. _

_9, there are people around. Pull yourself together._

_8, there's a box in front of you put all of your pain in the box. Close the lid and send it to China. _She couldn't imagine anything other than Mel aiming a gun at her chest, the cold press of the metal against her flesh through the shirt.

_7, shit your lungs are on fire! That's because your best friend put a bullet in your chest._

_6, no, not really, you can live through this. Except she wanted you dead._

_5, you're dying say a prayer. Pretend God is listening._

_4, Hail Mary – you don't know the rest._

_3, Stop feeling sorry for yourself!_

_2, Get it together!_

_1, NOW! _

Somehow she was able to pull herself off the brink and bring herself back to reality. She looked up and saw both Jasper and Bella looking at her curiously. She noticed Jasper had started a fire and had to smirk, the sun was setting but still high enough in the sky to provide enough light.

"I'm, I was just," She paused to glance from Bella to Jasper. "Remembering." Sophie absentmindedly massaged the area around her wound, only to remind herself that it had really happened.

Jasper looked upset and embarrassed that he had even asked. He assumed that she was remembering being a prisoner. Bella looked knowingly sympathetic in a way that made Sophie's skin want to crawl. Her fingers played in a small circular motion on her stomach, where Sophie knew the bullet wound was.

"Don't look at me like that." Sophie demanded. She got up and started moving around a little. "It, it doesn't hurt as much anymore." She lied as she rubbed her wound feeling the fire lurking underneath.

"Pardon me for asking, but what is hurting?" Jasper cut in with a confused and almost terrified face.

"A wound she got while we were prisoners." Bella sounded nervous clearly the girl couldn't lie.

"It's nothing, honestly." Sophie cut in before Bella tripped over her own tongue. "I just sometimes remember how I got it. Not a pleasant memory, it's painful sometimes but nothing I can't manage."

"You should lay down." Bella managed to speak up again.

"No." Sophie shook her head but sat down anyways. "So, Mister Whitlock, where are we headed?" Her voice grew in confidence as she continued talking. "You said we were headed to your family's home?"

"Yes, my parents own a cotton plantation in Galveston. It's not much but it is home." He smiled at the memories. "It used to be full of life but since the war things have changed. My brothers all enlisted in the very start, I was the youngest son. It's just my parents and my little sister now." He looked sad.

"How old is she?" Sophie asked mostly to distract herself from the fact that he had said they were going to a plantation.

"She just turned fourteen. I haven't seen her in a year but she writes sometimes." He was clearly lost in memory. "I have a picture of her." He walked over to the tree Sophie had hung his jacket on and pulled out a beaten scrap of paper. He handed it to Sophie after looking at it for a minute. "Her name is Martha."

The picture was blurry but it was clear that Martha was a beauty. Her eyes were serious but even in the stiff posture the gleam was clear in her eyes. Sophie instantly saw a comparison between herself and Martha. She just smiled and handed the picture back.

"It's very sweet that you carry a picture of her." She smiled again.

"It reminds me what I'm fighting for." He barely whispered before returning the picture to his coat pocket. He picked up a rifle and walked away.

"Where do you think he's going?" Bella asked as she leaned slightly on Sophie.

"To get dinner, probably." Sophie grimaced at the thought.

"What's with the face? You don't seem like the vegetarian type." Bella noticed her face.

"I'm not. My dad was a hunter; I grew up watching the butchering process. When I was ten he put the knife in my hand and taught me. It's pretty bloody."

"You don't think he'll do it here do you? I don't have a good stomach when it comes to blood." She paled at the thought.

"Can I give you a word of advise? Only because we find ourselves stuck in one of the, if not _the _bloodiest war of all time. Suck it up." She rolled her eyes. "You do actually want to eat don't you?"

"Yes." She harrumphed as she crossed her arms.

There was a loud pop causing both Sophie and Bella to jump. They both realised the same thing, it was the same sound they had heard in the bar, the same sound that caused tremendous amounts of pain. Sophie recovered faster but Bella just sat there trembling. She really started to loose it when they saw Jasper return with a deer slung over his shoulder. Once again he was dripping sweat and breathing hard. Bella started scooting back on her bottom as she turned a light shade of green.

Sophie realised something had to be done. She turned Bella around by dragging her legs to the opposite side and demanded that she close her eyes. She grasped onto the sides of Bella's head and smoothed the hair away.

"Bella, Bells, listen to me. I want you to focus now." She held her hand up to Jasper and looked pleadingly at him to move the animal carcass out of sight. "Okay, open your eyes. Look at me. Deep breath, in through your nose, out through your mouth. That's it." She encouraged as Bella's eyes stayed blued onto hers. Gradually Bella started to calm down and nodded slightly.

Sophie looked around and saw Jasper trying to hide the deer behind a tree. The beads of sweat on his face became even more pronounced as he massaged his temples. She slowly got up and walked over to him.

"How many times am I going to have to tell you to take it slow?" She admonished jokingly. "You will kill yourself if you don't slow down." She moved him away from the tree and the animal. "Give me your knife." She saw his confused, almost horrified face and had to contain her eye roll. "I'm going to help you with that," she gestured over to the carcass, "and you are going to set down and clean your gun or something." Her hand slapped over her mouth as she heard the accent come out stronger than she had ever been able to do before. She quickly had to correct herself as Jasper looked confused.

She hauled the deer over so that it was still blocked from Bella's view but that she was close enough to Jasper for when she would need his help stringing the deer up in the tree. He reluctantly handed over a battered knife with a brand burnt into the hilt. Her fingers ran over the blackened design, tracing the letters JW.

"It's my father's, Jedidiah Whitlock." He looked down at his feet before sitting down and pulling the rifle across his lap. "So was this." His own fingers traced the brand at the butt of the gun.

Sophie had nothing to say to that so she decided to change the topic.

"I'm going to need your help hanging this thing. This is more than enough for one night." She heard Bella groan and slump to the side slightly. "Honey, just plug your years and sing a song or something." Sophie warned.

"I can smell it!" Bella sounded faint.

"Blood doesn't smell. It's in your head." Sophie's voice remained calm as she slit the deer's throat and ran the knife down to its chest. "Is there some reason for the large kill?" She silently thanked the deer for giving them their meal as she felt the blood hit her fingertips.

"My parent's are good people and they are off than some, but this war has wreaked havoc on their main source of income. I can't be there for them to help but when I get there I want to be the most helpful." He looked like he was trying to solve some inner conflict as he talked about his family.

"How is bringing two strangers home helpful? Not that I'm not grateful for the help." Sophie added quickly as she dug her hands into the deer's open body.

"My mama raised me to help all people. I couldn't, in good faith, show up at home knowing that I had let two women in great need of help fend for themselves out there in the middle of a war." Jasper's eyes pierced her with the most earnest look that it caused her to do a double take.

"Okay." She nodded her head and almost whispered the words. She knew her eyes were as wide a saucers and she could feel her jaw hanging slack.

Sophie shook her head slightly. She wasn't used to being so unsure of herself. She was used to knowing the answer before the question was asked, she knew a little about a lot of things and figured she was prepared for anything, but this was a horse of another colour entirely. Clearly she was not ready for Cowboy Casanova, who at every turn one-ups her flirting with the most sincere statement ever.

"Um, I'm going to need you to hang this up." She looked down at the deer for lack of better places to look.

"Where did you learn this?" Jasper looked at the deer as well with, what Sophie thought, was a small amount of pride.

"My father, he was always preparing me for the day I wouldn't have him around." She lied a little about her father's insistence on her learning how to hunt and dress game.

In reality Sophie's father was a survivalist nut job. He had month's worth of food canned and stored in their basement. He taught her how to shoot and make her own clothes before she started questioning his sanity. It took five years of her dealing with his ramblings before she finally convinced her Aunt to move in with them to take care of him.

"Wouldn't your brother take care of you and your sister?" He asked finally.

"No, it was almost like my father predicted the war before it happened." She lied again though it was more in line with what her father rambled on about. He was always talking about the coming war.

"You look sad." Jasper moved closer brushing a lock of Sophie's hair out of her face.

"My father is a sad subject." Sophie looked down, aware of the closeness of their bodies. She blinked up and her breath caught. Jasper must have noticed and immediately backed away.

"I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking." Jasper tried to explain.

"It's okay. I'm just going to go back to my work." Sophie shook her head. She didn't know how to proceed. Would she be considered easy if she kissed him, even if she only knew him for a small moment?

They didn't talk for the rest of the afternoon and remained silent, working around each other without talking. Bella was so absorbed in the pain she was feeling that she barely noticed the silence. They munched on deer before Jasper butchered the rest of it and wrapped it in thin white cloth before storing it.

"Thank you, Jasper, for everything you have done for us." Sophie spoke up again as she wrapped the only blanket around Bella before lying down on the grass. "You have shown us nothing but kindness."

"I suggest you try to get some sleep. We will leave early to try and beat the heat." He barely whispered.

"Oh, yeah, okay, I guess." She could sense the finality in his voice making it clear that he didn't want to talk and she wondered briefly if it was something she did. Before she could really start to think about it the dull throb in her chest receded enough for her eyelids to become heavy and her breathing to even out.

_Sophie was in a house. Wallpaper with fruits decorated what looked like a sitting room; green checker drapes covered a large window. It was dark; she assumed it must have been night. She didn't recognise the house but there were pictures on the wall of her with a small child. Immediately she knew that the child was her son. Tentatively she held out her hand to trace the smile plastered on her face, and wondered whom she was smiling at. She had never seen that amount of pure happiness on her face before._

_A sharp cry came from the opposite corner causing Sophie to spin around. There was a small white bassinette in the corner that she was sure was not there before. She walked over and peered inside. The name Samuel was stitched into the padded headboard. Sophie gently pealed back the blanket and saw the most beautiful baby resting there._

_"__Samuel." She breathed as her hands reached out to scoop up the crying infant. She didn't know this child, and at the same time knew him completely. She loved him. He was hers._

_She had just placed the baby on her hip and bounced him gently, trying to lull him back to sleep, when she smelt it. Smoke. Strong and thick and suddenly it was too dense to see anything. She coughed and accidentally inhaled more smoke. Samuel was crying in between his coughs. _

_Sophie had to get out of there. She could feel the heat of the fire and spun around. The fire had almost swallowed the room. She panicked, as she looked around frantically for an exit. The flames licked at her barefoot feet as she ran towards the only door not engulfed by fire. She was in a full sprint as she crossed the kitchen that had also been swallowed in flames._

_When she finally made it out of the house she pulled Samuel away from her body and took in a large gasp. Samuel lay limp in her arms as she tried to wake him up. Tears sprung to her eyes as she realised there was no saving him. He was dead, her son was gone. She couldn't restrain the wail of complete pain she felt. She stared into the child's eyes for what felt like forever. His blank grey eyes starting lifelessly back. _

_And then she was on fire. It didn't hurt like it should have, not lake the pain of losing her son. She looked curiously at the orange flames that attacked her fingertips. The tears from her loss still running down her face. Then the pain set in. Sophie let out another scream in pain and looked around for a way to stop the burning. _

_She twisted around, almost writhing in pain. That was when she saw it. The wrinkled face of her grandmother smiled back at her, her eyes twinkling. She was still wearing the same clothes Sophie remembered from the last time she saw her. A pink loose fitting silky top with an intricate pattern and her hair long silver hair wrapped in a thick plait, bound in a thick leather strap. _

_"__Aye, mijah." She sighed._

_"__Nana! Nana, he's dead!" She screamed, her knees buckling at the words. "Help me! Please. Take me instead, don't take him, he is innocent." She begged._

_"__Who is dead, mijah?" She asked quirking her head to the side. "It is only you. You are dying mijah." She looked sad but her words betrayed no emotion._

_Sophie spun around again but Samuel was gone._

_"__No, no he was right here! Give him back!" She demanded. "You can't take him from me Nana!"_

_"__Will you fight for him mijha?" She asked after a long pause._

_"__Yes! He can't die yet he is so innocent. I love him!" Sophie answered in a rushed voice._

_"__Then keep fighting." Her grandmother whispered before vanishing completely._

Sophie was awoken with a jolt as se shot up from the ground. She looked around in a panic for Samuel, tears threatening to fall. It took several deep breaths before she realised it was a dream. Her Nana had died nine years ago, she didn't have a son, and it was a dream.

Jasper looked apologetic.

"We need to get going." He explained.

"Okay." She nodded wiping the sleep from her eyes noticing that it was wet with tears.

"Who's Samuel?" Bella asked as Jasper helped both of them onto the horse.

"He's -" She paused. "He's no one." She whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi all! I am sorry this one took me a while. I have had a few things on my plate and this just slipped through the cracks. I will try to update at least once a month but hopefully I will be able to be a little bit quicker. Please review! **

"How did you get that name? Samuel? Why did you ask me about it?" Sophie asked as a whisper in Bella's ear as she rode behind her on Jasper's horse.

"You were talking in your sleep. I couldn't make out most of it but that name was loud and clear. Jasper started worrying that someone would hear you so he had to wake you up." Bella explained. "You looked like you were having a fit or something. Whose name was it anyways? Who is Samuel?"

"Samuel is my father's name."

"You were having a bad dream about your dad? You call him by his first name?"

"Don't be an idiot! I love my father and above all else I respect him as my father. I would never take that title from him." Sophie became incredibly defensive. "No, I had a dream. There was a little boy, a baby."

"Named Samuel?" Bella felt Sophie's head nod on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"He died. I couldn't save him."

"What does that mean?"

"How should I know?" Sophie snapped.

"Sorry. Did you really not know you talked in your sleep? No one ever told you?" Bella asked.

"Who would have told me? I had a room separate from everyone else for forever. " Sophie looked over at the grass for lack of better things to do.

They rode for what felt like hours and Sophie didn't want to complain but her backside was hurting and she had never ridden a horse off trail. Jasper was holding the reins and leading the horse, he introduced as Traveller, but that didn't take Sophie's mind off the fact that she was easily six feet in the air and at the complete mercy of a stranger.

"Okay I need to stop for a minute." Sophie finally declared, feeling bad that she was going to prevent Jasper from seeing his family. "I can't ride anymore." Jasper looked confused. "I'd rather walk is all." She slipped off the horse.

Bella didn't say a word as Sophie dismounted and she worried slightly that Bella was regressing into herself. She frowned at Bella and was too focused on the girl's behaviour to notice Jasper giving her a suspicious look. They walked for even longer and Sophie started to recognise just how depressed Bella appeared and she was starting to worry about how her actions would effect her time here in their situations. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for someone that made herself comatose due to her lack of a beau.

Walking and walking and even more walking, all day, no stopping, no breaks, Sophie wanted to cry but knew she was the only one of the two keeping it slightly together. She thought maybe she should sing or something like she had seen cowboys do in the movies but all she could think of was _'I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy' _and she highly doubted that would be appropriate.

"Okay I think we should rest here until the sun sets." Jasper suddenly stopped.

Sophie was confused; she had just seen the outline of a group of buildings that she assumed was the town of Galveston and was unclear as to why they were stopping.

"I don't want to risk your reputation in town and if anyone sees you like that, honestly I don't know what people will think." Jasper looked almost embarrassed to bring it up.

"Oh, yeah I suppose that makes sense." Sophie blushed, knowing exactly what people would think. "Okay, Bella, lets get you down, okay?" She spoke with metaphoric kid gloves.

She held out her arms and wiggled her fingers, like she would for a child, or a puppy. Bella let her self be practically dragged off Traveller before she slumped on the grass again. Sophie let out a sigh; she had no idea how to help her but knew something needed to be done. She couldn't deal with this no-do attitude much longer, especially here. From the books she had read and the movies she had watched this place was unforgiving and just sitting wasn't really an option.

Granted most of the books she had read were fiction and the movies had over-glamourized versions of cowboys and soldiers. It was no secret to her friends that she had quite an attraction to Clark Gable and had watched _'Gone with the Wind'_ more than her fair share. She could repeat lines from memory, and had fantasised what it would be like to go back in time but had never imagined that it could actually happen. Now that she was there she was daunted by the act she had to keep up.

"I want to know more about you. You were so kind to take care of us but I only know a little about you." Sophie turned to Jasper for conversation as it became clear that Bella wasn't going to be very entertaining.

"That's more than I know about you." Jasper smiled as he sat down to clean his unused gun. "You are from Virginia, right?"

"Yes. My father inherited a small tobacco planation in Halifax. It was beautiful." She smiled as she remembered actual visits to her aunt and the stories she liked to tell about the history there.

"What was your favourite part?" Jasper looked like he was enjoying their conversation.

"That's easy." She stretched her legs out in front of her. "The trees. There is nothing like them, especially in the fall, and the smell." She let out a small breath and closed her eyes. "It's something everyone should see once. I could sit out there for hours, just reading or eating fresh bread with butter and a tablespoon of sugar." She licked her lips at the memory.

She heard Jasper make a small sound causing her to open her eyes.

"I am sorry, you can read?" Jasper didn't sound accusatory but there was a tone of disbelief.

"I can, can't you?" She tilted her head slightly.

Jasper turned red again, almost like his reaction to their clothing. Suddenly Sophie understood, he was embarrassed by his shortcomings. She bit her lip, she had read enough cosmopolitan to know that men didn't tend to like women being smarter than them.

"I can read enough, but I would never choose to do so. Books are hard to come by and there isn't much time to do it." Jasper itched at the back of his neck.

"Of course, but you are doing something important. Surely when you have won the war you would have more time." She cringed internally, both at the knowledge that his side didn't win the war and that she was so very bad at this style of flirting.

She had never really done it before and didn't know if the signs she was communicating her intentions correctly, she didn't even really know the intentions she meant to send out. She wanted to be nice, both because he had been nothing but nice to her and because he was incredibly attractive.

"Perhaps when this is over I will have to go to Virginia and see the trees with you." Jasper smiled. "And you can read to me."

"What would I read you? I quite like Robinson Crusoe."

"What is it about?" Jasper had put down his gun at this point and leaned back to listen to her.

He seemed to enjoy hearing her talk about nothing. His eyes were closed and there was a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He crossed his legs out in front of him and propped his head up with his hands, his coat acting as a pillow.

"It is the story of a man that needs to survive on an island. It is terrifying, I would imagine it would scare even you." She joked, sure that whatever Crusoe went through was nothing compared to what would happen on the battlefield.

"What other stories would you read?" He asked with his eyes still closed.

"Just how long do you plan on me reading to you?" Sophie giggled.

"For as long as you will. My mother used to tell me stories but that was a long time ago."

"Oh." Her voice sounded small and weak. Jasper must have noticed, his eyes flew open and he looked at Sophie. She recognised his expression and quickly corrected herself. "I'm excited to meet her. From what you have said she sounds like a very nice woman." Her voice was much stronger this time.

"She's the nicest. She makes the best strawberry-rhubarb pie you've ever tasted. Though I suppose there won't be any of that with all of the blockades." Jasper looked sad for a moment before continuing his thought. "My older brothers, they used to say that I was the baby of the family. Maybe I was, but she always looked out for me."

"I am sure she wasn't fond of you enlisting." Sophie smiled.

"She was heartbroken. All she did was cry, said she would never forgive me for taking away her last son."

"But you are coming back, you haven't taken anything." She reached her hand out and gently placed it on top of his. "I've heard mom's say that just because they are sad. She probably didn't mean it."

"I know she didn't, I'm sorry I forgot you lost your mother."

"I made due." Sophie shrugged before lying down again. "Anyways, I'm sorry about all the trouble we have put you through with all of this clothing mess. I'm sure it's not what you are used to."

"No it's not, but I understand you have been through a trauma. When we get to my family, they will have some clothes that will work."

Sophie shook her head, at a loss for how she was going to make it up to Jasper and his family for taking care of them.

"I've told you my favourite parts of home now it's your turn." She looked for a lighter topic.

"Have you ever smelt freshly picked cotton?" Sophie shook her head. "Before it goes through the gin. There is this smell, a little like the earth. When I was a kid I would walk through the fields, in some areas the cotton would be so high it would go over my head and all I could see is the sky." He looked lost in his thoughts.

"I look forward to seeing it." Sophie mentioned.

"Well it won't be like I described when we get there. It will all have been picked, all that's going to be left are some brown twigs."

"Then I will have to stay until it blooms again." Sophie absentmindedly stroked her fingers through her hair. She realised that saying things like that made it seem like she was going to stick around longer than she intended.

"Tell me more about you and your home." He requested

Sophie took in a breath; she knew she was treading on thin ice. If she said too much it would be clear that she wasn't from either Virginia or 1862, but if she didn't say anything that would only make the situation worse.

"Like I said, I was – we are from Halifax, Virginia. My father owned a tobacco plantation, nothing big or noteworthy but it was nice enough. My brother tried to take care of the place but he never really had a knack for business and when the war came there was no stopping him from joining up. We managed for a while, but after my brother passed we couldn't stay." She felt marginally bad for completely lying but got over it fast enough.

While everything she said was shrouded in lies, some things were more true than others. She had regularly visited her aunt in Halifax as a child. Before moving in with her father, her aunt owned and lived on an old plantation that had been converted into apartments in the twenties. The outer buildings had been updated and converted and she could remember playing with the children that lived there.

One of the boys that lived there, the eldest of all the children, used to make fun of Sophie's mixed heritage. He was fuelled by his father's rampage about 'not believing in mixed marriages'. During her last visit before she convinced her aunt to move to San Diego to help care for her father the boy began singing _'God Save the South' _while throwing little pebbles at her feet as she walked barefoot across the grass. Sophie was only twelve when it happened and the boy loomed over her head by at least a foot and half, weighing easily two of her, but that didn't stop her from walking straight up to him and punching him square in the gut.

She had caught him off guard and he slipped on the damp ground. She pounced on top of him, her fists moving faster than she had ever dared move them. Each punch she threw landing harder and harder on the boy's meaty jaw. She punched and screamed and cried a little until she had no more energy to expend. He was still conscious when she stepped off of him.

The memory was a painful one but it was also one of her favourites to replay in her head. It was the day she proved to herself that she could take care of herself, she didn't need someone to fight her battles for her. She remembered backing away, wiping the mix of tears, sweat, and saliva off her chin, and aiming a glob of spit in his general direction.

"You had better hope God will save the south." She called, feeling incredibly adult at the moment.

She had never told anybody about the incident. She was embarrassed that she had let it get to her. Her father had always told her that there would be people that expected her to be violent, uncontrollable, savage, and would do anything to provoke the behaviour, but that the way to cure intolerance was to prove them wrong, to not allow emotion to control action, to say nothing, neither praise nor condemn. She had, on that day, failed miserably. Even more than her embarrassment that she had given into her emotions, she was torn by the feeling of accomplishment she had after she heard the crunch beneath her fists.

She felt pride and, in the way a twelve year olds mind operates, she had wondered since if what people said was true. What if she really was an uncontrollable, bloodthirsty savage? What kind of monster feels pride after breaking a boy's nose? She remembered the pictures she had seen in history class, the fuzzy brown pictures depicting dark men with feathers braided into their hair, waving the scalps they kept as trophies.

As she grew up she learned to take pride in her heritage. She learned that her people were provoked, that instead of being a savage they were victims. Although her father never saw it that way, he would never use the 'V word'. He claimed it went against his core beliefs to make himself a victim.

_"__Mija, I will never be a victim. Victims allow themselves that title; I will never put such a label on my people. We are a proud people, we were naïve to the ways of the white men but we grew stronger because of it." He would look at her sternly before breaking into a smile. "Besides, Mija, if the white man had never come I would never have met your mother, you would not be here, and what, Mija, would I do without you?"_

She had never told him that it was because of her white mother that she would never be accepted fully with his tribe. She would never be included entirely because her skin was lighter than theirs, her eyes didn't carry the same deep molasses colour, her hair curled and had streaks of gold where theirs was the colour of coal and lay flat on their heads. She was different because he had chosen a white woman; she was different because _she_ had chosen a brown man. She was the product of a mixed marriage.

That train of thought snapped her back to the present, or as close to the present as she could get. Sophie had to remind herself that Jasper was fighting so that she could never exist. That thought dried up any romantic feeling she was developing towards the soldier. No matter how kind he was being now, if her ever found out what she was, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. She would be no better than the slaves she was sure to run into on his plantation.

Sophie stood up suddenly, she noticed Jasper hop to his feet as well, clearly looking for the threat. Bella, Sophie noticed, hadn't even looked up at the movement. Instead she was rocking herself slightly, Sophie was at a loss for what to do with the girl but at the moment couldn't be thinking about her. She needed to get away from people. Especially a blond haired soldier, whose eyes made her insides do somersaults, she really needed to get away from him for a moment.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, clearly surprised that she had gotten up so suddenly.

"Nothing, I just, nature calls." She looked down at her feet hoping he would let it drop and let her walk away. "I'll be back in a moment, and I can tell you more about growing up." She forced her smile back in place even though she was having a panic attack on the inside.

"You shouldn't go alone, Ms Isabella should accompany you." Jasper flushed.

At this Sophie had to snort. Ms Isabella couldn't protect her from the wind blowing in the wrong direction at this point. She snorted a little and rolled her eyes.

"I'll be fine." Sophie started to walk away before Jasper could complain again.

"Then at least take this." He called. "It's not safe out of the city like this, and it is going to get dark soon."

Sophie looked back and saw Jasper's proffered hand holding a revolver. She took three steps back and carefully took the gun from him.

"Do you know how to use it?" He asked, watching her weigh the gun in her hand.

She was used to hunting rifles and semi-automatic handguns. That was at least what her father kept locked in their basement for when 'shit hits the fan'. But she could see the simple mechanics behind the gun, and ultimately all guns were the same, point and shoot. Holding the metal contraption made her bullet hole throb as if it had a pulse of it's own but she ignored it.

"Yeah." She managed to mutter without looking at him. "I doubt I will need it but I will take it with me." Her fingers curved around the grip and she felt the now familiar JW brand. "I'll be right back."

As soon as she was out of their line of sight she let out a ragged breath. She wondered briefly how she had gotten here. Only twenty-four hours ago she was serving drinks and making tips off how much ass cheek she let slip out of the bottom of her shorts, now she was playing the part of a southern lady, flirting with a man she had just met, one that believed everything about her was less than equal. The idea of it all was so overwhelming that it brought tears to her eyes and instead of finding the willpower to force them away, lake she normally would have dine she just let them overflow onto her face. She used the loose ends of her red plaid shirt as a handkerchief and wiped away the salt water. She had always said she wanted an adventure but she had never thought this would be how she got it.

The sun was just about to set when she walked back to Bella and Jasper. She wiped at her eyes again, aware that they were probably ringed in red from her crying. Jasper was over by the horse clearly preparing to go. Sophie noticed him trying to get her to make eye contact but she was still at a loss for what to do. As of now she decided avoidance and polite neutrality was the safest bet. She didn't look directly at Jasper as she returned the pistol before heading over to Bella and helping her stand up before leading her over to the horse again.

"Only a little while longer okay? I'll figure out a way to get you back to him, I promise." She whispered in her ear, desperate to change Bella's attitude before they met more people. "Thanks." She mumbled as Jasper took over and hoisted Bella into the saddle.

They walked only for a sort while more before Sophie could see the clear outline of a beautiful house. Four white pillars held up the intricate brickwork, it looked like something out of a movie, with its wraparound deck and sunken shutter windows. A pair of rocking chairs that sat vacant on the porch making it look like a home. Sophie sighed, not only did it remind her of her aunt's home but it also felt secure and welcoming.

"It's late, are you sure we aren't going to be waking anyone up?" Sophie questioned after deciding silence wasn't really a solution.

"It's early enough." Jasper assured. "If everything is the same Mama should be sitting by the fire sewing one of my father's shirts while my father records the house finances." He smiled and Sophie could only assume he was remembering a time before the war. "Mama will help you with your clothes."

"If you are sure. I feel awful showing up at your parent's door looking like this." She was again reminded that she looked like a hooker.

"Don't, it was unavoidable. I understand and if I explain it to my parents they will understand as well. Besides my mother will love that you are both single it gives her a chance to play match maker."

His words were light hearted and she could hear the smile in them but they only reminded her that she was responsible for Bella who was by every definition not single. Jasper directed them towards an outbuilding she assumed was a barn.

"Well one of us is." Sophie corrected. "Bella is – or was – engaged to be married. Regardless of what has happened I doubt she will be willing to move on." She looked over at Bella, the girl looked as if she couldn't hear them.

"I am engaged to be married and I am going to be with him again. You promised." Bella looked accusatorially at Sophie as she slipped off the horse and Jasper led him into the stable.

Sophie grabbed for Bella's arm and stopped her from following after Jasper.

"I know I promised but it's complicated, I don't know what I'm doing here. Honestly I don't know what to do, we both have a reason to get back but we can't act like this isn't all happening. Get it together before we go in there, fake it if you have to." Her face became stern and Jasper just caught the tail end of it as he came back.

"Is everything alright?" he questioned, his arm lightly brushed against Sophie's and she had to force herself to move to an angle where they were not touching.

"Everything is fine. I was just reminding Isabella that we need to be on our best behaviour." She smiled but was sure Jasper did not believe her.

Fortunately Jasper was enough of a gentleman not to say anything. He led them around to the back of the house and knocked briefly on the door. It only took a moment for a woman to answer the door.

"Mister Jasper?" The woman asked as she leaned against the door. "What are you doing here, at this hour? Don't you have a war to be winning?" The older woman smiled like she was talking to her overindulged grandson.

"Hello Nettie, did you miss me? The general himself gave me a few furlough days, you are talking to hero." Jasper laughed as he swiped the hat off his head. "Aren't you going to let us in? Or am I not welcome in my own home any more?"

Their relationship was strange. It was clear to Sophie that Jasper was her superior although the way Jasper looked it was also clear that he had immense respect for the older woman.

"Come in, come in." She moved her body away from the door. As Jasper walked into the house Sophie and Bella became visible to the woman and Nettie's face showed complete shock. "Oh, Mister Jasper." The disappointment, clear in her voice as she uttered the term.

"Now, Nettie, don't go thinking the worst of me." Jasper have her a look as he removed one of his gloves and held out his hand for Sophie to hold onto as she stepped up into the kitchen. "These ladies escaped from their savage captors. They need clothes and a place to stay and I could do with one of those delicious lemon cakes you always used to make me."

"Of course." She smiled indulgently at Jasper before giving a hard stare at both Sophie and Bella. "But you should go see your mother first."

Jasper set down the large cloth wrapped packages he was carrying and gave another smile before walking out the other door that clearly lead to the main house.

"It's nice to meet you." Sophie started but was cut off by Nettie waving a knife in her face.

"You may have convinced Mister Jasper that you are a respectable lady but you will not fool me and you will not see Missus Whitlock dressed like a common harlot."

Sophie squared her shoulders, aware that it was now or never to secure a status within this society.

"I beg your pardon, my name is Sophie Sinclair and I will not be talked down to. For days people that only wished us harm held my sister and me captive. I can understand if you take issue with the way we are dressed, frankly so do I, but it is out of my control at the moment."

The expression on Nettie's face changed slightly and she lowered the knife. Instead of saying anything she turned around towards the cutting board and resumed her work. "I can get you something to eat?"

Something in Sophie's brain clicked and she sunk onto the first chair she could find.

"Yes please." She managed to choke out before the tears began flowing freely. "I'm just so tired."

She felt a hand on her back. Looking up she saw Bella sitting beside her with her hand resting on Sophie's back.

"And just who are you?" Came a heavily accented voice from the doorway.

Sophie and Bella were both startled by the new voice and jumped to their feet. A short, lean, blonde woman was standing at the doorway. Jasper was clearly visible behind her; he looked apologetic as he took in her stature.

"Mama these were the ladies I was telling you about. Sophie, Isabella, this is my mother, Addison Whitlock."

His mother's eyes appraised them quickly and Sophie instantly felt lacking.

"Mrs Whitlock, it is a pleasure to meet you. Jasper has told me so much about you." Sophie smiled, instantly putting on her friendly mask.

In her mind all she could think was this woman was especially important to impress.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Holy Moly! Look at me! don't get used to this speed. But you should review and don't be afraid to hold back on your opinions! My skin is pretty tough and I'm always looking to improve. :)**

_Sophie was in a forest of ginkgo trees, interspersed with what she recognised as dogwood. Instantly she knew she was in the woods near her aunts home in Virginia. She walked for a small while and looked around. The further she walked into the woods the trees started changing colour. They started off as lush green and slowly changed. The dogwood started blossoming beautiful white and pink flowers and the ginkgoes started to turn yellow. She stopped at the base of a large oak tree and looked around. Red leaves were scattered along the ground, looking up she realised the leaves on the tree were bright crimson, like flames. _

_She looked back at the ground again and saw a blanket spread out on top of the leaves. A basket was resting against the trunk of the tree and a large book held down one corner of the blanket. Somehow she knew the basket was for her so she sat down and opened it. Inside was a lunch, complete with two types of desert. She started pulling things out and laying them out on the food she found, convinced that someone was coming to meet her._

_When the food was laid out she picked up the book and looked at the title. Her mouth almost dropped to the ground. It was a first addition Grey's Anatomy. This book was worth thousands and it was in perfect condition. She was so absorbed in the book that she didn't hear footsteps behind her. Suddenly a little boy had plopped down next to her and slumped on her shoulder._

_"__Mom, can I eat now?" The little boy asked as Sophie looked up enough to catch the boy looking at the strawberry-rhubarb pie. He could have been no older than five and his eyes were startlingly familiar. _

_She knew the answer without thinking about it and spoke before she could stop herself._

_"__Wait for your father Samuel," She scolded. "He will be here in a minute. Go play for a while it will make the time go by faster."_

_The boy nodded and ran off out of her line of sight._

_"__And Samuel, be safe!" She called after him, convinced that her warning was unheard as she listened to his giggles._

_Suddenly there was a loud crash and a scream. Sophie knew something was very wrong as she hopped to her feet._

_"__Samuel!" She cried. "Samuel!" The terror in her voice grew._

_She was wearing large and cumbersome skirts that stilted her movements, as a corset dug into her waist._

_"__Samuel!" Finally she found him. _

_A tree branch that had rotted through had landed on him and he wasn't moving. Sophie ran towards him trying to push the tears out of her eyes enough to focus on her baby._

_"__Don't worry sweetheart, Mommy's here. It's going to be okay." She cried to his still body. She tried again and again to move the tree off of her son with little success. "Daddy will be here soon and he can help and you are going to be just fine" _

_The little boy's eyes opened for a moment and she let out a breath, at least he was alive._

_"__Save me Mommy, don't you love me?" He whispered._

_Sophie took in a breath and pushed again at the stubborn log._

_"__You know I do baby, I would do anything to save you, anything. I love you so much. Just hang on okay? You are going to be okay." The tears she had tried to keep at bay were flowing freely now._

_She looked straight into his eyes and watched as the life flickered out of them._

_"__NO!" She screamed pushing against the log that kept him prisoner. "No! Take me!"_

_And she was on fire again, actual flames licked at her shoes. Her many skirts ignited around her, trapping her. She could even find the will to feel the pain. She watched as her skin reddened feeling the fire but having no reaction. _

_"__Mija," Her grandmother spoke from behind her._

_"__Nana! He's dead." She mumbled. "My son is dead. You told me I could save him and you lied to me! I don't know what you need from me! Save him!" The fire still burnt around her but her anger kept her focus on her grandmother._

_"__I can not save him. He is you, mija, you are dying and there is nothing I can do to save you. You must save him, you must fight."_

_"__I don't know what that means!" Sophie yelled but by the time she looked up her grandmother was gone._

_She did the only thing she could think to do; she wrapped herself around the log and her son giving him one last hug. She looked into his eyes his familiar grey eyes, and let herself feel the burn of the fire._

Suddenly she was awake and drenched in sweat. It took a moment looking at the ceiling to remember where she was and remind herself that it was all a dream. To her left she saw Isabella in the same bed with a look of complete peace on her face. She nodded slightly before sitting up and getting out of bed. It was still dark but the sky had turned from dark to light indicating the sun would be up soon. She decided she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anyways so she grabbed for the robe Mrs Whitlock had given her and slipped it on before leaving her room.

She walked quietly out the hall and down the stairs. Sophie started exploring a little and found her way back to the kitchen. The fire was lit and she sat down at the table to collect her thoughts.

She thought she was alone but a sound came from a small door that was attached to the kitchen, it didn't lead outside but it didn't lead to the main house either. Sophie waited with baited breath to see who had caught her. She was able to let out a small breath when she saw it was a small girl.

"Hello" Sophie whispered with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me being here. My sister likes to take all the blankets and I can't get a wink's sleep."

"No ma'am. It's no problem at all. I just need to start the fires." The little girl responded with a small curtsy.

"What's your name? I'm Sophie, I'm a friend of Jasper's and I'm staying here for a little while."

"My name is Lila." The girl responded with another small curtsy. "Excuse me ma'am I need to get to work."

"How old are you, Lila?" Sophie completely disregarded the girl's protests.

"I'll be ten next month. Mama say I'll need to move to the other quarters when that happens." The girl blushed as if she had just spilled a dirty secret.

" Are you sleeping in there?" She pointed to the closet the girl had just come out of. She saw Lila nod slightly. "Why would you need to do that? Move, I mean, when you turn ten?"

"Mama say when I'm ten I will have a body for men and that it's better if I move to the other quarters. I only stay here because I need to stoke the fires early."

"Oh, right. I see." Sophie stumbled over her next words. "I guess you better get a start on then." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

The girl scampered off and Sophie just sat there thinking. That little girl was clearly a slave. She was aware that it was going to be a part of life here, and had easily accepted Nettie as a slave, but seeing that little girl and hearing that she was afraid at ten of being taken advantage of was sickening. She sat there until she saw the sun peaking through the half open shutters. She got up and made her way back to her room still unsure about what she was going to do. She was about to open the door to her room she saw the little girl again.

"Excuse me Ms Sophie, I'm supposed to give these to you." Her arms were laden with clothes that had been carefully wrapped in linen.

"Is there a reason they are all packaged like this?" Sophie asked.

"My mama did that so as to not get any soot on your clothing. There are more for your sister too." The girl continued on.

"I see, let me help you with that." She smiled. Together, with Lila insisting on doing most of the work, they managed to get every piece of clothing into the room without waking Bella.

"Will you need any help getting ready?" Lila asked looking almost hopeful.

"No thank you I think we can manage on our own. You have been very helpful." Sophie finally decided that it was better to struggle with the foreign clothes alone rather than with an audience, even if the audience was only nine years old.

"All right then." Lila looked a little crestfallen but hid it well. "Good morning Ms Sophie." She curtsied and turned back down the hall.

Sophie rushed into the room, eager to get into clothing that wouldn't make her stand out as much. She undid all of the careful wrappings and laid them out on the bed, examining each piece and trying some of it on. After an hour she decided se couldn't put off waking Isabella anymore.

"Bella!" Sophie poked at Bella's sleeping figure. "Bella, come on day's a wastin'. Wake up." Bella moaned a little before turning on her other side and pulling her feather pillow over her face.

"Go away. Let me just die in peace." Sophie heard the pillow talk.

"Stop being so dramatic. I need you to get up and help me with the torture devise we are supposed to wear." Sophie pushed on the duvet-covered form. "You can die later."

"Fine I'm up." Bella finally shrugged off the covers and stood up.

She was wearing a mid-calf length cotton chemise similar to Sophie's and her hair had formed large curls and covered most of her face. Her eyes were ringed with red and she sniffled a little.

"Good. Look at the dresses she left us. I can't get into these things by myself. Do you even recognise some of these things? Look at this, I thought this was some sort of underwear thing but no because look at this," She gestured at the loose garment that resembled thin linen pants she was wearing. "There is a hole in the crotch! Which would defeat the purpose of wearing it if you ask me. And then the actual dress, I mean look at all that fabric." She plucked at the heavy gingham dress. "You would think there is enough fabric to cover an elephant but I tried to put it on without anything else and I can't get the buttons to meet."

"You are going to need to wear that." Bella rubbed at her eyes and pointed at the corset also lying on the bed.

"That's why I need your help. Look here, it tightens in the back. I snap the front bit together and then you have to pull the strings there to tighten it." She held the corset up to her chest and turned her back to Bella.

"Are you sure you really want me to do this?" Bella asked as she stepped closer.

"Bella, corsets are one of the things I am actually very familiar with. I'll be fine and so will you; it's only for a little while. Besides I will be damned if I don't fit into that old bat's costume." Sophie grumbled earning a giggle from Bella.

"She's really not that old, you should be nicer to her." Bella warned.

"You just say that because she likes you but I can see the way she looks at me. She takes pity on you because you're so sad but I'm supposed to just tough it out be her good little soldier. Well, I'll tell you what, I don't think I have to be. For once I want to be the cry baby." Sophie sucked in a breath as Bella tugged on the strings.

"I'm not a cry baby." Bella muttered.

"No, I know that." Sophie gasped out again as Bella further tightened the strings. "It's just people expect me to be stronger than I want to be. Okay I think that's enough." Her voice cracked slightly as Bella pulled yet again on the strings.

Bella stepped back slightly and Sophie leaned over, holding the bedpost for support, and tried to catch her breath. After a moment or two she felt better although still slightly woozy.

"Okay now from what I can tell this shirt thing goes over it." she slipped the shirt on as she spoke. "And then skirt numero uno, because oh no we aren't done yet! We haven't even put on the hoop thing yet." She shook the heavy metal object in Bella's face before slipping it on as well. "You would think at that point we would have enough clothing to have an audience with the Pope, but no! Yet another skirt thing and another and then the dress, which at this point barely fits, again!" she let out a sigh.

"Are you sure that's right?" Bella questioned as she leaned against a small dressing table. "That looks like one skirt too many."

"Yes I'm sure there was a set left for you too and it's the only way I can figure out how to wear all of this. I feel like a beached whale." Her arms wouldn't quite sit by her side and she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. "How do I look?" She was almost nervous for the answer.

"Honestly?" Bella asked earning a glare from Sophie. "Have you ever seen Gone with the Wind?"

"Oh God, if I look like Scarlet O'Hara I am never leaving." She rushed over to a mirror and took in what little breath she could. "Good God, I do. I'm never leaving. I don't care how uncomfortable I am." Her hand touched at her temple and slowly moved her fingers down to her lips. She looked exactly how she had seen herself in her dream.

"No, no, no, we are leaving. Somehow we are going to get home and when we do you can buy all the civil war clothes you want." Bella gripped at Sophie's shoulder.

"Well I would look like a pretty big fool walking around in this in the 21st century." She tugged lightly at the sleeves of the dress. "Now get dressed." She shooed at Bella slightly.

It took Bella only a little under an hour to finish getting dressed and just as there was a knock on their bedroom door. Sophie was closest and she walked as quickly as she could to answer it.

"Oh." She let out a little sound when she saw who was at the door. "Jasper, hi." Her voice sounded breathy due to a mix of not getting enough oxygen into her lungs and her conflicting emotions towards him.

"I am sorry for disturbing you. Lila mentioned seeing you this morning and I thought perhaps you would like to accompany me to the local hospital today." Jasper was fiddling with a hat in his hands.

Sophie frowned slightly, unsure about why Jasper would want to go to the hospital and why he would want to take her. Jasper must have noticed her expression and started to explain.

"It's just that you were telling me that before you left you were studying to be a nurse. I have a couple of friends that were injured in the war, I promised them that I would come and see them the first time I came home. Bella can come too if she would like."

He looked like he was going to say more but Sophie held up her hand with a smile.

"Jasper, I would love to go see your friends. Bella doesn't like blood so I think she will want to stay here." Sophie heard the sound of Bella agreeing from the dressing table.

"In that case I will need to convince my sister to come along with us." Jasper looked at his hat, which he had crumpled in his hands.

"I'm sorry why do you need to do that?" Sophie's brow furrowed. "It sounds as if she doesn't want to go."

"It is only acceptable for us to have a chaperone." Jasper turned red as he spoke.

"Your fourteen year old sister would chaperone us?" Sophie asked with a tilt of her head. "Seems a bit like the blind leading the blind. How about instead we just promise each other to keep our hands in the neutral zone." She giggled as she pointed from bicep to fingertip on Jasper.

"Neutral zone?"

"Come on think that is a military term. I don't need a chaperone and from what I can tell from you don't need one either." Sophie smiled and hoped she wasn't bending the rules too much. "Let's just go after breakfast." She heard her stomach growl.

"I think Nettie will have breakfast ready by now, please allow me to escort you." He held out his arm for her with a hopeful expression.

Sophie was more than a little apprehensive about anyone escorting her anywhere but the look in his eyes and the growing need for food convinced her that it wouldn't mean too much and despite her best attempts to not feel anything she could no longer deny that Jasper had gained her attention.

"I would love for you to escort me." Sophie practically beamed as she linked her arm with his. "So tell me these men you are going to see, what are their names?" She made light conversation and tried to convince herself it was like working at the bar and talking up a customer, but deep down she knew it was more than that.

"There are four of them, we grew up together and they served under me for a short time, before Adams Hill. Jackson was the oldest of all of us and he hated that he had to take orders from me." Jasper smiled as they descended the stairs. "Mind you he was only four months older than me. Then there was Charles, Walter and, Eli. Those three were brothers a year younger than me, I feel most responsible for their injuries. They only joined because I did; they faked their ages so that the army wouldn't look twice at them." Jasper's smile dissipated and Sophie noticed.

"Hey, you are going to be there for them now right?" She questioned, stopping once they reached the bottom of the stairs. "They chose to serve their country. It was a good choice, an honourable choice. Don't feel guilt for that, feel pride and be there for them now." Without thinking she reached her hand out and brushed a lock of blond hair out of his face.

She was about to retract her hand from his cheek when she felt his hand encompass hers. Sophie took a breath of air while she waited for Jasper to move his hand. She took the moment to list the differences between their hands. Sophie had always thought her hands were rough from years of slinging drinks and breaking up bar fights but comparatively they were nothing to Jasper's. His were calloused and tanned from years of riding horses and fighting. Each finger that brushed against the back of her hand had a distinct feel. The pressure he placed on her hand made her feel safe and she lost track of time, she hadn't noticed their faces getting closer until her nose was almost brushing against his.

There was a sound from the top of the stairs causing Sophie and Jasper to almost jump apart. Looking up Sophie saw Bella and another woman she recognised immediately as Martha.

"My, my, brother." Martha started as she walked down the stairs to meet them. "You simply must introduce me to your guest." The girl smiled as she made it to her brother.

Sophie saw immediately the gleam in her eye and knew she was okay. Martha just wanted to see her older brother squirm and he did not disappoint. Jasper started fidgeting again as he looked at his sister.

"Martha I would like to introduce to you Miss Sophie Sinclair and her sister Miss Isabella." Jasper motioned at both girls. "They are from Virginia and have moved here to avoid the horrors of this war."

"Yes, mother was telling me about your unfortunate journey here. You must tell me, are the savages really as they descried them in the papers?" Martha instantly linked arms with Sophie and dragged her off further into the house with Bella and Jasper trailing behind them. "Do they look as funny as the pictures show them, with feathers in their hair and all that? I've heard some are so violent that they kill their horses in fits of victory. How long did you stay with them?"

"Well." Sophie paused in an attempt to force down the bile that had reached her throat when she heard Martha talk about the 'savages'. "No, I did not see a lot of that." She could tell she looked uncomfortable but Martha either didn't notice of didn't care. In an instant she decided to throw caution to the wind and make up a story. She hoped that if she made it bad enough word would spread about what happened and she would only have to say it once. "But the men were huge. Taller than trees and stronger than ox, they would tie us to posts and hold a knife to our throats. They would yell; they seemed to do that a lot. If they weren't as silent and as still as stone they were screaming and dancing. But it didn't get bad until they started drinking. One night the men brought back liquor, the taunting only got worse. There were horrors I don't think I could ever describe."

"And it isn't our place to ask." Jasper looked disapprovingly. "I thought you were still asleep."

"Brother, you have been away far too long. I have been up for a while now. I was talking to our dear mother and she is very insulted you haven't spent more time with her this morning." Martha reprimanded with a smile. "No, Miss Sinclair I wouldn't mean to make you relive a trauma like that. I was simply curious; it all seems so terrifying although I could see the romance in being rescued. I quite like the idea of being a damsel in distress needing to be saved by the hero. And that is what you were, my dear brother, the hero? I heard that was how you introduced yourself to Nettie." Her glance turned to Jasper.

"I was simply informing her of our overwhelming victory." Jasper smiled with a shrug.

"Of course, and your uniform? Must you wear that ghastly colour yellow? It quite reminds me of a rancid soup." She grimaced and turned towards Bella. "You must be the quiet one Mother was telling me about. She told me that you were pining over a lost fiancé. I heard from someone that he was a northerner, and that he left you to fight for the union."

Bella's mouth dropped open and she looked at Sophie for a way out.

"That is enough Martha!" Jasper looked incredibly upset and was glaring at her. "Their family has given up everything for the success of the Confederacy and I will not have my guests talked to like that." As he spoke a teenage boy came out from the kitchen and started laying down trays of food.

Martha looked upset that her brother would scold her so publically but recovered quickly. She grimaced again when she saw the food but Sophie suspected it was mostly for show.

"Tell me Miss Sinclair, do they have bacon in Virginia? I do so miss it but what with the blockades it has been hard enough to get butter."

"Please don't call me Miss Sinclair." Sophie responded after a minute, forgetting that was her name for a minute. "It's so formal and I would like us to be friends, friends call me Sophie. No, we haven't had bacon in a few months." She decided to air on the side of caution when she talked about Virginia and keep her statements vague just in case.

"Well, Sophie, then you must call me Martha and we must be the best of friends." Martha beamed before serving herself. "What did your family do in Virginia?"

"Tobacco. A small plantation, but my father always said it was the quality not the quantity." Sophie smiled at Martha's eagerness.

"That is lovely. I would simply hate you forever if you told my mother but I do have to say I enjoy a cigarette every once in a while." Martha smirked conspiratorially.

"That is a nasty habit." Jasper tired to reprimand. "It leaves a foul odour on the breath, entirely off putting."

"And you would know this because you have been getting so close to women that enjoy a cigarette or two?" Martha laughed. "And to think all of this time I thought you were off fighting a war, apparently there is a lot of free time." Martha looked amused as she spoke and Jasper looked embarrassed and more than a little angry.

"I haven't gotten close to any woman." Jasper defended looking at Sophie as if she wouldn't believe him.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, you my new best friend looked very close only a moment ago." Sophie reddened as Martha spoke. "Not to worry, it can be out little secret. Personally, I'm just glad -"

"Stop speaking Martha." Jasper demanded. "Miss Sophie and I are going to see Jackson, Eli and the others perhaps you and Miss Isabella could find something to do today."

"Perhaps." Martha stayed quiet after that, instead focusing on the porridge in front of her.

"Where is our mother?" Jasper asked clearly the only one intent on keeping conversation going at the table.

"She had one of her headaches again so she's having a bit of a lay in and of course Papa's already out doing Lord knows what. It has become our routine lately and you have been gone lately."

"Well I am done with my meal. I think I should try and do something with my hair before we go." Sophie stood up and excused herself. She had no interest in listening to the siblings bicker and from what she could tell this family had a lot of resentment about Jasper joining up.

She had just gotten up to her room and closed the door before she heard a soft knock. Sophie opened the door and peaked around.

"Hello Sophie." Martha smiled. "I thought you could use some help with your hair and if we are to be the best of friends I thought I should at least do your hair."

"Well by all means then come in. Honestly I don't know what I am going to do with it." She laughed.

Martha walked into the room and sat Sophie down on the bench in front of the mirror.

"You must think I am just awful for acting that way with my brother." She began as she swept up Sophie's curly brown locks into an intricate bun. "Especially with him being a war hero and all but you have to understand that my brother's all left and Jasper was supposed to help my father here. Did you know he lied about his age to get in to the army? And not because they wouldn't have let him in but just because he thought he would get promoted faster if he was a couple years older." Martha shook her head. "My father doesn't like to tell me what's going on around here but I can tell from the looks on his face and the frequency of Mama's headaches that things are worse than they let on. Of course it would be easier if they got rid of some of the workers but they have such heart that they have become like family."

"Right. I see. I think Jasper is just trying to do what is right and we should support him for that."

"Are you accusing me of not supporting the confederacy?" Martha's eyes narrowed.

"No, I'm just saying that right now he doesn't need to be told how ugly his yellow uniform is." Sophie smiled. "Even if it is the truth."

"I just don't understand who would pick such a colour and it is impossible to dye anything without everything else turning the same colour." Martha smiled. "So my friend Caroline, she's married and about as big as a house now, but she was telling me that soldiers get desperate to find a wife, so when they get a few furlough days they rush to find a lady and I use that term very loosely."

"Where is this going?" Sophie frowned, unsure if this was where she asked what her intentions were.

"I saw you and my brother on the stairs. You have only known each other for a few days but you seemed very close. I won't judge you if you decide to get married but I will ask that you let me know a few days in advance and make sure my parents are there."

"Martha, that is very sweet of you to look out for your brother like that but I don't think we will be getting married in the week. If it happens I can guarantee you as much notice as heavenly possible." Sophie laughed.

"So you aren't counting it out as a possibility? Oh Mama will be so please to hear that! She has been complaining about needing a baby around the house again and just think we will be sisters! I have always wanted a sister." Martha rambled before Sophie cut her off.

"Okay I think my hair looks perfect. I am going to head out with Jasper now and will see you soon." She looked for anything to make Martha stop talking about her getting married. "Martha, can you do me a favour?" She asked finally.

"Yes of course you can ask anything of me." She responded in the same fast pace.

"Would you look out for my sister? She is having a hard time with the loss of her fiancé and she could use an attitude like yours."

"Oh I would love to! She did look rather pale at breakfast. I know just what will cheer her up, don't you worry." Martha was practically bouncing out the door with Sophie following behind her.

Jasper was at the foot of the stairs waiting for her and she had to carefully monitor her steps to make sure she didn't trip over her own skirts. As he looked up at her she saw his smile falter for a moment before reappearing in full force.

"Miss Sophie you do look quite beautiful." He declared as he offered her his arm.

"Please Jasper, I need you to call me just Sophie. We are friends, let us be friendly." She smiled linking her arm in his.


End file.
